“monasteries” is a form of
monastery
UK /ˈmɒnəstɹi/ · US /ˈmɑnəˌstɛɹi/ noun
Forms monasteries monasterie
Etymology
From Middle English monasterie, from Old French monastere, from Medieval Latin monastērium (“monastery”), from Ancient Greek μοναστήριον (monastḗrion, “hermitage, monastery”), from μοναστήριος (monastḗrios, “alone, made alone”) + -ιον (-ion, “-ium”, suffix forming place names), from μονάζω (monázō, “to be alone”), from μόνος (mónos, “alone”) + -άζω (-ázō, verb-forming suffix). Doublet of minster.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A house of religious retirement, or of secusion from ordinary temporal concerns, especially for monks; --more rarely applied to such a house for females.
Etymology [L. monasterium, Gr. Minister.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “monastery”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details